June 9, 2006

A luxury hotel for pets. Not a luxury hotel where you can stay with your pet, a luxury hotel where you leave your pet. Hey, you're the one with the pet. If you're leaving town, this is what you ought to do for for your dog... and what your cat expects you to do. The slide show (with audio) made me think this is a pretty smart business idea.

23 comments:

Probably nice for a dog, but horrible for a cat. For the same money, you can have somebody stop by once a day to feed/water/scoop and interact with them. The one thing any cat hates is being out of their turf.

I think it's nice that young people can start a business doing something they love and get lots of money from softies who have more than they need and want to be able to go on vacation and feel good about themselves.

Marghlar: Yeah, the cats in the pictures look pissed off. But not everyone has someone they can get to come by and take care of the pet -- or is willing to ask. The cat is going to hate you no matter what you do. I mean, that's the whole point of having a cat, isn't it? If it's not enough that other people are snubbing you and expressing contempt, and you want some of that inside your actual residence, you get a cat. If you're not getting enough adulation and dependence, you get a dog. If you want some space for yourself, free of all that, you go petless.

I think it's nice that young people can start a business doing something they love and get lots of money from softies who have more than they need and want to be able to go on vacation and feel good about themselves.

Agreed.

At least where I live, there are services you can pay to come and look in on your cats, if you trust such types in your house while away.

I think the amount of snubbing varies greatly from cat to cat...but it is generally true. I like my cats well enough, but they do hamper our ability to travel, etc. I wouldn't get rid of them now, since they are attached to us and us to them, but if I had it to do over again, I'm not sure that I'd decide I needed a parcel of animals living in my house.

Well, I think that's big. Who wants to hand over their keys to strangers to come in all the time when you're out of town?

Mary: I wish even the birds outside would quiet down. I can't believe the racket they make in Madison. Birds are just crazy. They're the dinosaurs, you know. Dinosaurs in disguise. I wouldn't trust one for a minute.

Here I go again, champion of the animals. While it is true that cats can be fickle, what Marghlar writes is more true: it varies greatly from cat to cat. My cat and many others I know are very loving. And my dogs, while also very loving, allow me plenty of space. In my experience, people have a tendency to infringe much more on personal space than cats, dogs, horses, goats, birds, etc.

I do agree it is a wonderful business idea, although I would never use it. I don't go anywhere without my beloved animals, which means, of course, that I rarely go on a vacation that involves travel. It is such a small sacrifice for the joy that they bring to my life that I don't even view it as a sacrifice. Luckily I am surrounded by an animal-loving family, so when the need arises for a short emergency trip, I have plenty of people more than happy to help out.

Birds are just crazy. They're the dinosaurs, you know. Dinosaurs in disguise. I wouldn't trust one for a minute.

LOL. Yeah, I realized this when I watched a couple of pretty-looking little birdies hopping about and pecking at a squirrel which had been run over by a car, and was still half-alive. It was weakly crawling away, but then they'd pick it up and drag it a few inches, ripping off a little piece. It was truly disturbing.

At leats with my cats, I know where I stand. They are soulless predators who like people because we feed them and scratch behind their ears.

"Luxury"? A cat's idea of luxury is a pile of dirty laundry, maybe a paper grocery bag to slither into, and a windowsill. The worry is that they're marketing to people, but it's the animals who have to live there. Animals are a lot more interested in disgusting odors than in pictures on the walls, aesthetically speaking.

It's a great idea if they do it right. Ordinarily, when you board cats, they put them in little wire cages. In a room full of other strange cats. What a nightmare. Best to have somebody come in so the cat can be in familiar surroundings, but if you can't, this would be nice.

As for dogs, they're not very bright, are they? I can't see that it matters.

I also pay someone to come in. She's bonded and has a great reputation. Her husband even quit his job to help her, and they've made a great living out of it. After my cat got "expelled" from the cat hotel for screeching all night long, it was my only choice. Dogs I think would love the hotel, but cats...no.